"It's painful. I'm out here playing on it, though, so I'm just trying to give everything I've got on it,' Clowney told Josh Kendall of gogamecocks.com. "Who knows what's going to happen out there. It doesn't really bother me when I am out there much. It just builds up pain. The more I keep going on it, the more it bothers me."

The college game's premiere pass rusher also said he needs the Gamecocks' upcoming idle week to get his foot some needed rest. South Carolina next plays host to Central Florida on Sept. 28. He wore a boot during the practice week away from the practice field, but did not miss practice time.

Clowney described the procedure will be to get his right foot "cleaned out." He picked up his second sack of the season and caused a fumble by Vanderbilt quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels, among four tackles.

Bone spur removal is a relatively minor procedure that shouldn't affect Clowney's draft status, although with 10 weeks left in the regular season, it will be interesting to see if his play is significantly hampered by the end of the year.